This study presents the design and performance evaluation of a hybrid solar-driven system (SOLIVE) that integrates tubular daylighting and buoyancy-driven natural ventilation within a single architectural component for industrial and large-scale buildings. While solar tubes and solar chimneys have been widely studied as independent passive technologies, their combined use in a unified system capable of delivering both daylight and ventilation remains largely unexplored. The proposed system utilizes solar tubes not only for transmitting natural daylight but also as thermal drivers that induce airflow through the stack effect generated by solar heating along the tube surface. A mathematical framework combining photometric daylight modeling and buoyancy-driven airflow analysis was developed to evaluate the system performance. Numerical simulations were conducted for three representative solar reference days (Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Winter Solstice). The influence of the key design parameters, including illuminated surface area (5–15 m2), solar tube diameter (0.1–0.3 m), and ventilated space volume (20–60 m3), was systematically analyzed. The results show that, under the adopted modelling assumptions, the system provides peak illuminance between 376 and 502 lux and ventilation rates up to 20.5 air changes per hour (ACH). These values are discussed as indicative benchmarks with respect to ISO 8995-1 and ASHRAE 62.1, rather than as proof of full real-building compliance, since glare, illuminance uniformity, thermal comfort, occupancy, wind effects and HVAC integration were not fully modelled. These findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed system as an effective passive solution for improving indoor environmental quality and reducing building energy demand in sunny climates.
Alqurashi et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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